


a moment's silence

by dreee



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: after the war, king rhoam is a bad dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22588819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreee/pseuds/dreee
Summary: After Calamity Ganon is defeated and Link and Zelda are reunited, Hyrule is still in ruins. Zelda takes a moment to visit a place from her childhood and reflect on the past.
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 12





	a moment's silence

Zelda sat at the end of the dock with her bare toes dangling over the water, just barely touching the crests of the swells as they rolled by. It was all exactly how she remembered it—the crystal-clear water, the bass hiding among the rocks, the sun high in the sky. The wind, no more than a light breeze, tickled her hair. She hadn’t felt any of it in so long. She hadn’t felt anything at all. Even little things like the warmness of the sun and wetness of the water were still a little surreal.

  
Quiet footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She didn’t turn. Nobody walked quite like Link did. His feet always seemed to be at war on whether to run to her side or stay put and compromised by being as silent and unobtrusive as possible. He knew she appreciated her space, but after finally being reunited after a hundred years… Now, she understood the impulse a little better.

  
She tilted her head back, letting the lakeside wash over her. “Do you remember this place?”

  
Link settled in at her side, but didn’t sit.

  
Taking it for the answer it was, she continued, “That doesn’t surprise me. I used to come here every summer with my father. I think the summer after you were appointed was the last. My father wanted me to… focus.”

  
She saw him shift out of the corner of her eye and felt the weight of his gaze on her. “I always wished I could bring you here.” She chuckled. “Well, not always. The one time you did come I’m afraid I was quite rude to you. Perhaps it’s best you don’t remember.”

  
She let her gaze drift over the open water. “My father and I would always leave our horses with our escort and then walk on alone. He was always so busy, but on that walk we’d talk and talk and talk and for a few days it’d feel like I had a father instead of a king.

  
“We would always assure the servants that we would catch enough fish for ourselves to eat, but somehow, I’d wake up every morning and our picnic basket would be full of meat and bread and cheese and sweets—certainly nothing my father caught in the lake!”

  
Link finally relented and sat cross-legged next to her, angled just enough that he could see behind them.

  
“You miss him,” he said. His voice was one of her favorite things in the world, smooth and lilting, but always quiet, as if it was meant just for her. He held his syllables carefully, as if even as he spoke he was changing his mind about letting them go, but it only made her appreciate his words all the more.

  
“Of course I do,” she huffed. “What kind of daughter would I be if I didn’t?”

  
Link didn’t answer and she was glad for it. He knew as well as she did that her happy memories of her father after her mother died were few and far between.

  
“Of course I miss him,” she repeated, hating the hoarseness of her voice.

  
A flock of birds flew overhead before circling and lighting down in the water. Their wings splashed in the water, throwing up droplets that caught the warm light and reflected it back in every direction.

  
“Link,” she said, even though she knew he was listening.

  
“Hmm?”

  
“Let’s go somewhere else.”

  
“Where do you wanna go?”

  
Zelda felt a tear slip down her cheek and hang on her chin. She wiped it away with one furious stroke.

  
“Anywhere but here.”


End file.
